The Tottenham Hotspur defensive ace was taken off early on by Mourinho in midweek but Nicholas thinks the Spurs boss will continue to play him.
Sky Sports pundit Charlie Nicholas has claimed that Tottenham Hotspur defensive ace Eric Dier is most likely to benefit from Jose Mourinho taking the Spurs reins, a surprising choice bearing in mind what happened earlier this week (Sky Sports News).
On Tuesday night, Dier was hauled off after 29 minutes of Spurs’ Champions League encounter with Olympiacos at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, when Mourinho’s charges were two goals down, Christian Eriksen taking his place.
Spurs pulled one back before half time through Dele Alli, and then went on to record a 4-2 win thanks to a great fightback, though it may not have been such a joyous night for Dier, who suffered the ignominy of being taken off before half an hour had even elapsed.
Nonetheless, Mourinho stood up for Dier at full time, telling Football London: “I had to do it for the team and I apologise to Eric despite him knowing that I did it for the team and not with any intention to hurt him. I think the fans also understood that. I did it for the team and in the end the team is the most important thing. Christian gave us what we needed at that time.”
Nicholas acknowledged the early substitution but he still feels that Dier will benefit from the Portuguese’s arrival due to his style of play, and predicted more game time for the England international.
“Who will benefit from Jose Mourinho coming in? The first guy who came to my mind was Eric Dier,” Nicholas wrote on Sky Sports News. “He sits and protects and you can play him at centre-back if you have to as well. He took him off against Olympiacos but he initially played him and will continue to do so.”
Up next for Spurs is Saturday’s Premier League meeting with Bournemouth at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
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